Chicken Ropa Viejo Burrito Inspired by Chef Garces' journeys to Cuba, this burrito is filled with tender, shredded chicken braised in a richly spiced tomato sauce, arroz moro, and queso mixto. Served with fresh salsa verde and lime crema, it is a delicious meeting of Mexican and Cu

Preparation

 

For the Chicken Vieja Ropa:

1. Heat oil in large saute pan over medium/high heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic, season with salt, and cook until soft and translucent.  Add paprika, ketchup, chiles, tomato and guajillo paste and cook briefly. Add chicken stock and shredded chicken. 

For the Arroz Moro:

1. Wash and rinse rice under cold water. Drain well and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°, if you have a convection setting, turn the fan on.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add sofrito, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay, cilantro, salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent and the spices are fragrant.
3. In large bowl, combine sofrito mixture with rinsed rice and black beans (with their liquid).
4. Place mixture in a baking dish or casserole. Taking care not to fill the dish to the top. Spread mixture into an even layer and add enough water to cover. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in the preheated ovenfor 45-60’, checking at the 45’ mark. When the rice is tender, remove from oven and allow to rest for 10’, where it will continue to absorb cooking liquid.

For the Sofrito:

1. Cook onion, garlic, and pepper, and salt  in olive oil over low heat until very soft. 

For the Queso Mixto:

1. Combine cheeses and set aside.

For the Salsa Verde:

1. Remove husks and rinse tomatillos. Remove cores and score bottoms with a small X.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add tomatillos, onion, jalapenos and garlic and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
3. Remove any loose skin from the tomatillos. Drain vegetables well, patting any excess water dry.
4. Blend on high speed blanched vegetables with cilantro, olive oil, salt, MSG, and lime juice until completely smooth.  Adjust seasoning and consistency with salt and additional lime juice.

For the Lima Crema:

1. Whisk together crema,lime juice, and salt. Adjust seasoning and consistency with additional salt and lime juice.

For the Chicken Ropa Viejo Burrito Build:

1. Warm tortilla until soft and pliable.
2. In the center of the bottom half of the tortilla, place about a cup for arroz moro. Top this with a cup of the chicken ropa vieja mixture and then about a ½ cup of the queso mixto.
3. Fold the bottom edge up over the mixture, then fold the sides in. Finish by flipping the entire burrito over to form a nice square packet. 
4. Cook both sides of finished burrito in a hot pan until golden brown. Serve with salsa verde and lime crema.

Ingredients

For the Chicken Ropa Vieja:

• 12oz cooked poached chicken, shredded or pulled into bite-size pieces (about 355 g)
• ¼ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 30 g)
• ¼ medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 20 g)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1½ tsp smoked paprika
• 3 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp chipotle peppers in adobo, puréed
• 1 Tbsp guajillo paste
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp neutral oil
• ¼ cup chicken stock

For the Arroz Moro:

• ½ cup basmati rice (about 78 g)
• 2 Tbsp finely diced yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• ½ cup canned black beans, with their liquid
• ⅛ tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup + 1½ tsp water
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp neutral oil
• 1 Tbsp sofrito
• 1 bay leaf
• Black pepper, to taste

For the Sofrito:

• ½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
• ½ cup spanish onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ cup olive oil

For the Queso Mixto:

• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup oaxaca cheese, shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

For the Salsa Verde:

• ½ lb tomatillos (about 8–10 medium), husks removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
• 2–3 jalapeños, stems, ribs, and seeds removed
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• ½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
• 1¾ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp MSG
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice

For the Lime Crema:

• 1 cup Mexican Crema
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• ½ tsp salt 

For the Chicken Ropa Viejo Burrito Build:

• 12” Flour Tortilla
• Chicken Ropa Viejo
• Arroz Moro
• Queso Mixto
• Salsa Verde
• Lime Crema